Sunday, October 01, 2006

Missing and Exploited Children Chariman Resigns Over Sexually Explicit Messages to Minors

So, they knew the whole time? This is the story of the Republican congressman who sent sexually suggestive e-mails to underage congressional pages, and the Republican leadership that covered it all up.

I used “Republican” twice because, let's not forget, they're the party trying to tell you who to sleep with, who to get married to, and when it's ok to die--all on some kind of moral ground. Their moral authority now seems as solid as the Catholic church's.

Mark Foley (R-Fla), the 66 year-old congressmen and predator who sent the e-mails to boys under the age of 18. He was also the co-chair of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children, before resigning on Friday. Foley was so notorious in Washington that the pages warned each other to watch out for him.

John M. Shimks (R-Ill), head of the House Page Board, was told about the troubling e-mails almost a year ago. Mr. Foley was warned to be “epically mindful of his conduct” with pages. House speaker Dennis Haster (R-Ill) is also involved in the cover-up, first saying he found out about the shocking news last week, now saying he was informed early this year. The problem has been moved to the ethics committee, a well-known quagmire of inaction.

So, it seems like the worst place to leave your kids would be with a priest, a scout leader, a high-school, or a congressman. What a world.